Ah, the sweet serendipity of a snapshot! Smartphone apps like Instagram and Snapchat have made our minute-by-minute chronicles at once pervasive and ephemeral, with legions of images flying off into the ether of the Cloud the instant we make them. Inadvertently, this has turned the paper snapshots of yesteryear into historical documents. Collector Peter J. Cohen has recently gifted over a thousand of his 50,000-snapshot collection to the MFA, Boston. Guided by Cohen’s 70 inspired categories, the MFA curators have culled about 300 snapshots into an engaging and often amusing look at America’s personal love affair with photography. “Unfinished Stories” is on exhibit in the Mary Stamas Gallery at the MFA through February 21, 2015.
Installation view of “The Ends” from “Unfinished Stories: Snapshots from the Peter J. Cohen Collection” at MFA, Boston (photo and apologies from Elin Spring)
This exhibit is enchanting in several ways. First and foremost, it is just plain intriguing to look at anonymous personal photographs and imagine the stories behind them (thus the title of the show). And not surprisingly, Cohen has collected snapshots with compositional and historic merit. Next, the manner in which Cohen categorized his collection enabled the MFA’s curators to mount a truly fun exhibit, with montages of snapshots as playful as “The Ends” (read: behinds) and “Feet First”, as quirky as “People on Poles” and “Hula Madness” and as quintessentially photographic as “Double Exposures” and the equally fascinating back-of-the-photo notes in “Double Exposure Backs”.
Installation view of “Double Exposures” from “Unfinished Stories: Snapshots from the Peter J. Cohen Collection” at MFA, Boston (photo and apologies from Elin Spring)
Most notable to me was the overall impression these snapshots make about a century of American life. The number of pictures devoted to “Planes”, “Boats”, “Trains and Tracks”, “Bicycles” and the all-time favorite “Automobiles” denotes a culture in constant motion. In fact, there is even a category “People at Play” in which these amateur photographers have utilized the technical advantages of improving camera lenses and faster films to capture action shots in a way not seen in Europe or other parts of the world. Perhaps, as a nation of immigrants, it is only natural that we have always been people on the move. Happily, this and other sociological commentaries surreptitiously reveal themselves as you view the show. You may also notice one thing that hasn’t changed with technology: we are endlessly fascinating to ourselves.
Installation view of “Automobiles” from “Unfinished Stories: Snapshots from the Peter J. Cohen Collection” at MFA, Boston (photo and apologies from Elin Spring)
The MFA is hosting a lecture this fall with collector Peter Cohen and the curators. Tickets go on sale today! For more information or to purchase tickets, go to: http://www.mfa.org/programs/lecture/people-at-play-bathing-beauties-and-double-exposures-a-snapshot-conversation
Feature Image: Installation view of “Unfinished Stories: Snapshots from the Peter J. Cohen Collection” at MFA, Boston (photo by Elin Spring)
All installation views were taken by me and are offered with sincerest apologies for the abysmal image quality.
Installation view of “Photographer’s Shadow” from “Unfinished Stories: Snapshots from the Peter J. Cohen Collection” at MFA, Boston (photo and apologies from Elin Spring)
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